Syringes have been used to extract samples of blood and transfer the extracted blood to various types of testing apparatus for analysis. One particular type of analysis is the determination of blood gases commonly referred to as pO.sub.2. The syringes are normally equipped with male luer tips to which needles may be attached, and depending upon the apparatus, the transfer is made using either the needle or luer tip.
When blood is transferred from a patient to the testing apparatus, it is essential to prevent contamination of the syringe.
Stoppers are commonly provided to frictionally cap the syringes so as to seal the contents thereof, thereby preventing contamination after sampling and during handling. Examples of syringe sealing stoppers can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,534,734, Budreck; 3,809,068, Kosowsky; 4,041,934, Genese; and 4,057,052, Kaufman et al.
While the stoppers of the prior art were especially adapted to seal either the luer tip of the syringe or the needle tip, no single stopper was adapted to serve the combined purpose of sealing both the luer tip of the syringe as well as the needle affixed to the luer-tipped syringe.
It is accordingly one object of the present invention to provide a combination stopper which will effect air-tight sealing of either a luer-tipped or a needle-tipped syringe.
While some prior stoppers attempted to provide seals for luer-tipped syringes, their effectiveness was hampered by: (1) difficulty in grasping the stopper body for securing and removing the stopper; (2) failure to effect an air-tight seal resulting in contaminated samplings and questionable test results; and/or (3) an inability to seal the syringe using only one hand.
It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a combination stopper which is easy to grasp, is adapted to effect a secure, air-tight seal on the luer tip of the syringe and can be used in one-handed operation.
And while some prior stoppers attempted to provide ad adequate air-tight seal for needles attached to the luer-tipped syringes, the rigidity of the material from which the stoppers were fabricated hindered the entry of the needle into the body of the stopper.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a combination stopper fabricated from a material which facilitates needles entry into the stopper and yet effects air-tight sealing of the contents of the syringe.
These and other objects and features of advantage of the present invention, not at this time enumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood from a consideration of the detailed description.